Czech Ambassador Charts Country'sFuture in an Uncertain Europe

Hynek Kmoníček, an ex-musician who collects hot sauces and has killed a crocodile, isn't your typical ambassador. But neither is his Czech homeland, as the prosperous former Soviet satellite seems to be turning its back on the European Union in favor of Russia. But Kmoníček insists that a strong Europe is no threat to Western democracy. Read More

People of World Influence

Veteran Ambassador Warns AgainstU.S. Retreat in Afghanistan, Iraq

As a career diplomat who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, and as a former Army infantry officer who fought in Vietnam, Ambassador Ronald Neumann has seen firsthand how American defense and diplomacy can succeed and fail. He's also seen U.S. administrations often fail to finish what they started. Read More

SPECIAL REPORT

EXCLUSIVE: Envoys to Myanmar TakeNuanced View of Rohingya Crisis

In an exclusive report, ambassadors from the U.S., European Union and Japan reflect on the difficulties of responding to the atrocities committed against Myanmar's Rohingya minority without derailing the country's fragile democratic transition. Read More

Oman in the Middle

Peacemaker Sultan Qaboos FacesGrowing Pressure to Pick Sides

Oman has long played a quiet but influential role in the region as an honest broker, walking a fine line between competing interests. But as the U.S. and Saudi Arabia increasingly put the squeeze on Iran, Oman is finding it harder to maintain this precarious balancing act. Read More

As Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán comes under now-routine fire among critics in the West for his embrace of "illiberal democracy," his government spokesman has embarked on a charm offensive to counter the criticism and paint a very different picture of his boss. Read More

The Immigrant Dream

Pakistani Immigrants Advance toBecome Washington Powerbrokers

The story of Ray and Shaista Mahmood is a familiar one: newly arrived immigrants looking for opportunity; scrambling like so many before them to get a foothold; eager to realize the American dream. And realize that dream they did. Read More

Nordic Vantage Point

Op-Ed: Nobel Peace Prize PresentedTo Two Women's Rights Advocates

The Nobel Peace Prize will be presented this month in Oslo to Nadia Murad and Denis Mukwege for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict. Both have taken great risk to give a strong voice and a helping hand to the victims of unimaginable horrors. Read More

Medical

CDC Probe Continues as CasesOf Polio-Like Illness Rise in Kids

Ninety confirmed cases of a mysterious polio-like illness called acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) continue to mount in 27 states in the U.S., leaving CDC researchers and health officials scrambling to figure out the cause. Read More